We decided to add to our flock, we got 7 more Sex link chicks, all hens. We have had them for about 2 weeks now, seperate from our older flock of six sex link, they are all from the same hatchery but our older ones are from last year. Anyway, we notoced today that one chick was acting strange, kind of standing around with very little movement, kept closing her eyes, seemed lost. I removed her today, the thing that worries me if it is Mareks, though they were all kept in different areas they are all under the same roof, with the air space is shared, meaning dust and feather dander could travel, I have not seen any leg or wing problems as most described in other cases od Mareks. Any ideas?

Do you know if there is any diarrhea with the other symptoms? is she having difficulty breathing? Does she seem lighter than the other birds? These are helping me narrow down the possibilities. Is she drinking alot of water? thanks

The symptoms you describe aren't very specific but they don't sound like Marek's as paralysis is not present. Two weeks old is also a little young for Marek's to be showing up. For some reason people want to assume the worst and many posters seem to think every sick chicken has Marek's :-]. Is the bird eatin & drinking ok? Are the droppings ok? Any trouble breathing? It won't hurt anything to keep the chick isolated to observe her for awhile but if the thingd I asked about are ok the symptoms you described don't sound too alarming.

Sorry, the birds are 6 weeks old now, I have had them for 2 weeks. Anyway, the droppings are runny, but now that she is isolated she seems to be eating and drinking, but still puffed up and her neck is tucked in. She is actually one of the biggest birds of the bunch. I dont notice any sneezing but she keeps closing her eyes and shaking her head every so often. She does not move a hole lot, but still no signs of paralysis. She still makes alot of noise, especially since we seperated her. Any ideas? What should I do?

Do you know if your feed has any antibodies for coccidiosis in it? What you are describing with the head drawn into the shoulders, ruffled feathers, unthriftiness, and loose stool are all signs of the disease. It can be spread by other droppings from birds. If your birds were raised on litter, they were almost certainly exposed to the disease, even if you got them from a feedstore. Most starters have the medicine in it. Some stores state "medicated" to show it has the medication. There are other forms of treatment for the disease. Sulfonamides, ampolium or other coccidiostts can be used in treatment.

Hope this helps, but other people may have other opinions. I may also find other possibilities, but this is all for now...i'll keep lookin' though!

I have been feeding them Layena Sunfresh Recipe Meal (mash form) and I have fed my older birds the same in pellet form. Can anyone recommend any different feed or additive to give them. This feed says nothing about medicated or anything else. They have been on a pine chip bedding. About the garlic or oregano? How would you feed that to them? Just mix it in with their food? Thanks for the help and I will keep searching the net for an answer!!!!!!!

I think all those herbs are good to feed, but, what are their properties which cause them to be beneficial in preventing cocci.? If the feed is not designated as medicated it is likely not medicated. Purina feeds are good quality feeds. As are most others. Most feeds are of the same or very similar ingredients, some use different proteins, some use a higher quality grain. not all grains are created the equal. you can inoculatr your chicks yourself with a good spoon ful of poop in the water at 2 days age and again at 10.

Rob,Let me see if I have this right: I have 4 chicks hatched the 15th of April. If I had put some of the poop from my mail order chicks (vaccinated for Mareks at McMurry) in home hatched chicks water at 2 days and 10 days, it would be the same as if they'd been vaccinated. Is this for real? It would sure simplify things for me if it is.ThanksBunny

Not for Mareks, I thought the subject had morphed to Coccidiosis? I had heard of this years ago but wasnt sure to believe it, After Davic Caveny(a poultry scientist) mentioned it here ate the Coop I looked into it further; you can probably look up his old posts to read more. I dont get cooci problems, never have yet anyways.

Personally, I don't think Marek's is the immediate threat to your poultry. In theory, the poop idea would work. However, I don't know..it's just my thinking but, what if the other birds are just carriers of the disease that you got from McMurray? They may show no signs of illness, but could be transferring it to each other. Since they are protected from the hatchery they are in no danger. But, I don't know if your birds you might give the poop to would be safe from the "could be" sickness. You might not want to spread the illness is possible? I don't know, I was just wondering if it could be possible. Rob? Do you know if this is a logical possiblity? I was just wondering if it might cause the other non-vaccinated birds to become sicker?

Thanks to everyone for the help but it was all just too late, our little chick died this afternoon. I have not seen any signs of this in our other chicks. Is there anything I should do att his point with the other chicks besides adding some medicated food to their diet?

Go to a feed store and purchase a bag of medicated chick starter. Follow the directions on the bag.

Make a bleach solution of 1 1/2 cups of bleach to 1 gallon of water. Put the solution in a spayer and spay the area where the young birds have been dropping their feces. First clean out the soiled litter. This will disinfect the area. Put the chicks back when the area is dry and free of bleach fumes. If it is coccidiosis, make sure there are no wet areas where the birds feed. The protozoan that causes coccidiosis thrives in warm moist areas.

Tim, thanks for your help. I cleaned the coop and got medicated starter feed. All looks ok at this point. I guess I should have read more about this, I wasn't even aware if this illness. I havn't had problems before, but I havn't gotten chicks this young before I always got pullets. Thanks again